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Homes Then and Now
Before reading a book or text describing life in the 18th or 19th century, you might want to preview vocabulary. Each slide provides a description and image of technology common to household use prior to the 20th century, and compares it...
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Comparing Two Improvisations
Jazz improvisation can be difficult to listen to for some music enthusiasts, however there are patterns and characteristics that can be analyzed. They use this Venn diagram to aid them in comparing two improvisational pieces, where they...
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Compare and Contrast Historical Time Periods
What do images tell us about history? Dress, setting, and actions all convey cultural norms, and in essence, give reference to historical time and place. Learners compare and contrast Kunisada's Actor with Flute in Snow to Hokuei's...
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Compare Present Day Photographs to Historical Photographs from the Museum's Collection
Eighth graders discuss photojournalism and then compare present day to historical photographs. They discuss how photos capture daily life and historical events, compare historic photos to those seen today, then take and make a photo book...
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Good Book, Bad Book: Lesson 2
An interesting way to incorporate pop culture and the elements that make a book good. Kids watch a clip from MTV Cribs, they discuss how good or bad books are similar to good or bad homes. They are all different and not everybody will...
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Responses to Literature
Middle and high schoolers hone their writing skills by reading Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the poem Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out. They fill out a graphic organizer (included here), and use the organizer to write an...
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Applied Science - Science and Math Pre-Lab 4C
Scholars classify the sciences. Using applied science, they compare and contrast subfields of sciences. They compare qualitative versus quatitative. They discuss types of sciences and the meanings of the word roots of the names.
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Houses: Compare and Contrast
A series of different houses is shown, defined by their architectural details, and then used in a compare and contrast activity. Learners will compare various houses with a peer and then note similarities and differences between their...
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Folktales and Ecology: Animals and Humans in Cooperation and Conflict
Story elements such as conflict, character analysis, resolution, and moral are discussed and charted as elementary children read folktales involving animals. An element of science is also introduced as learners discover what a keystone...
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Introduction to Drama
Introduce your class to drama! You cast each pupil as a different character from a story you have read. They are given a general outline of the scene, act out the scene multiple times, then discuss the weak and strong aspects of each...
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Using a Venn Diagram to Compare / Contrast: Double Bubble
Create a "Double Bubble" to organize information in a Venn diagram-like graphic organizer. There are a few options included to differentiate this assignment, but unfortunately, there are no topics for selection. Provide your...
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Africa-Compare and Contrast Paper
Explore Africa with your fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Researchers complete a Venn diagram comparing two places in Africa using their textbook as a resource. Then, they write an expository paper comparing and contrasting the chosen...
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Fresh Foods from Farm to Table
Are you a good egg? Learners begin a farm-to-table lesson by acting out verbs in groups to demonstrate the egg production process, and then research the steps using online resources. Several excellent videos are linked through the...
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Japan
Introduce your class to the beauty, population, architecture, and special places of Japan. They'll learn about the currency, the weather, and how Japan is different or similar to New Zealand. Note: While this presentation makes...
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Use Details from Text to Identify Cause and Effect, Draw Conclusions, Compare and Contrast
Third graders discuss research topics and write a paragraph on one of the provided questions. They focus on including key words from charts that the class has been compiling. They underline supporting details within the text they write....
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Mannerly Writing
Writers draft paragraphs comparing and contrasting the author's viewpoint in two poems. They also discuss the differences between an informational text and a poem regarding manners. Rubric and assessment are provided.
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Literary Response and Analysis
Examine a variety of literary responses to Abraham Lincoln's death and the impact of perception. Your class can work in writing groups to analyze either poetry, eulogy, or a newspaper article. They retell the events of Abraham Lincoln's...
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U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
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Similar Situations
Students explore intersecting lines. For this intersecting lines lesson, students investigate shapes consisting of parallel, perpendicular, and similar lines. Students investigate these lines in shapes around them.
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Expanding the Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Introduce the class to the Civil Rights Movement by taking a critical look at the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. They will pay close attention to the role women played in organizing the boycott and bringing national attention to the...
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Many Passages: The Voyage of the Slave Ship Brookes
Examine three perspectives of the slave trade - captain, sailor, and captive - through this collaborative analysis activity. Small groups study one perspective with a primary source to analyze. They discern what is a historical fact and...
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Write like David Shannon
Pupils distinguish various books by David Shannon from other authors, compare three of Shannon's books for similarities, list various possible settings for stories, integrate Shannon's pattern of writing into their own, and formulate...
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Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
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Critical Thinking Strategies
Teach your readers to be critical thinkers. A strategy is outlined that can be used to compare and contrast entities. An example lists four states. The learner removes one state that "does not belong" in the list for some reason, and...